Eclipse (ItachixReaderxKakashi)
by KakashiNeeSama
Summary: Mimori of the lost Amatsu clan is a human offspring of the sun and the moon. But growing up, she's unbeknownst to the unlimited capabilities of her power. That is until the Akatsuki Organization finds out about her, sending the dangerous Itachi Uchiha to find and get her before anyone, including the Leaf Shinobi can.
1. Prologue

Mimori of the lost Amatsu clan is a human offspring of the sun and the moon, made through the infamous and forbidden ritual called The Blood Moon Prophecy. Many newborns and mothers have died because of it and Mimori is the only product who succeeded. Descended from the two celestial bodies, she is the most powerful among the world, no shinobi could stand a chance against her. But growing up, she's unbeknownst to the unlimited capabilities of her power. And with a heart so delicate and warm, it's almost impossible to become the best.

That is until the Akatsuki Organization finds out about her, sending the dangerous Itachi Uchiha to find and get her before anyone, including the Leaf Shinobi can.


	2. Chapter One: The Girl Who Lived 1

1\. 血の月の儀式

Dwelling hidden, in the northern uncharted outskirts of Iwaga, The Village Hidden In The Rocks, is the Amatsu Tribe, a small clan that has remain in complete isolation from society. They are led by holy monks who have kept their Kekkei Genkai in balance and protected from the outside world. Living in remoteness, the Amatsu Tribe do not follow the latest societal norms, culture and infrastructure of the other villages.

The women and men are merely equal. Not one woman is allowed to join the tribe's own shinobi armed force. And not one man is allowed to be unemployed. Every man should participate and work and every woman should keep out of the armed force. If one dares himself or herself to cross these laws, it's up to the monks to decide their fate, whether it be exile or execution, depending on the case.

The populace is very low despite the high rate of people deciding to banish themselves from the village. Most of them fled to the nearest, The Village Hidden In The Rocks, and had easily adapted to the modern lifestyle of the settlement, while a few had returned traumatized and penniless. Most of the banished were families and young adults, newly wed couples wanting to have their family elsewhere and teenagers seeking for a new life.

One of those teenagers could've been Mimori, if only she had the same wants. All Mimori really wants is a peaceful life. Perhaps settle down with a happy family once she turns eighteen and marry one of the few lucky men in the tribe. But if course, it's not for her to decide. She must have a husband of great significance to her and for their future children who will someday inherit her power.

How it warms her heart to think of herself as a parent. She wants to achieve a very important role her biological mother had never had. She was delivered out of the womb of the sacrifice and made with the chakra harvested from the moon and sun during a blood moon. In an instant, her biological mother died right after she was brought into this world. Mimori's biological father is unknown and so she has been in her own ever since, having only the monks to keep her alive and well-fed.

Mimori lives with the monks in the sacred ancient temple located at the cliff overlooking the whole tribe. Most of the time, she spends her daytime hours in the praying room where she prays and worship with her favorite monk to their Gods and attending the high school that has been recently established to keep the literacy rate high. Meanwhile, in her night time hours, she gazes at the sky and would talk for hours to the moon, in which she was told, since at a young age, it is her real mother while the sun, her real father.

It was unbelievable, even for Mimori herself. But it came from the monks, and so it must be true. Mimori had always acknowledged this, including the sole purpose of her existence.

Hence, this is how Mimori was made to save a dying clan.

A spine-chilling lightning strikes a nearby tree, making the pregnant woman scream louder than before. She is going into labor, her uterus painfully contracting. She lies in the middle of the clearing surrounded by dozen torches. Four masked people stood in each base of the square-shaped symbol drawn on the ground, two of them encircling the symbol counterclockwise, each waving around burning sage. One of them stands still and tall beside the laid woman, chanting up an ancient language very proudly. His left hand carries with him a sacred book containing the tactics of forbidden jutsu while his left hand performs complicated hand signs. It was no mistake he was a high grade shinobi.

"I summon thee, Sol and Luna! The God of Day and The Goddess of The Night!" Chanted the man repeatedly as thunder roared. "Hear me and bestow us your power!"

The blood moon emerges from the glooming clouds, its horrifying appearance making the woman wrestle with the ropes restrained around her to get free. But her effort is useless as the ropes were not made of hemp but chakra, the most difficult material to break.

To the woman, it's as though the blood moon is lowering, nearing towards the ground to take her. Her bloodshot eyes widen in horror when one of the masked men slashes her palms with a knife, squeezing it after to let the blood flow in a goblet. The woman screamed again, her voice had become raspy from too much screaming.

Once a generous amount of her blood is stored in the goblet, all of the masked men huddle around her, her eyes no longer gleaming the blood moon's light as their shadows have devoured her completely.

"Kiite!" All of them shouted in chorus.

The woman helplessly grips into nothing as she finally delivers her baby into the world. But there was a problem. As soon as the baby was out, the woman was gone.

"Another life made and another life gone." Quoted the one of the men in an emotionless tone.

The baby cries in his arms as he raises it to the heavens, showing the heavenly bodies their successful product.

"Arigatōgozaimashita! Arigatōgozaimashita!" Cheered the masked people.

This was it. Their clan was going to be saved after all. The head monk was right!

But suddenly, the light of every torch in the clearing disappeared in one blip, causing them to feel frightened.

The unconscious woman drops her limp hand, her eyes closing to her fulfill her demise.

"Let us return to the temple. Now!" Ordered their leader.

The four masked men ran straight out of the woods, having only the blood moon to shine their way and leaving the dead woman behind.

Once inside the grand temple, they locked every door and window they see as they head for the underground shelter.

"Aaaaaaah!" One of them screamed and it was the one closing the last window. The other one was about to rescue him when their leader prohibited him.

"Stop! There's no use!" He said, pulling him with inside the shelter before closing the trap door behind him. A gruesome howl is muttered right after he closed the door, making the leader sigh in relief as he knew they were safe, for now.

The newborn remains to cry, but it's no longer as loud as before. They placed it on a concrete table carved with strange symbols signifying altogether the Chi No Tsuki No Yogen or Blood Moon Prophecy.

"What's next, headmaster?" Asked the youngest monk in the room. He took his mask off, and so did the others.

"We continue the ritual-" the headmaster is immediately cut off by the only woman in the group.

"But Kaito is still out there!" She exclaimed in grave anger. "We have to save him!"

"No, Tsukino, we mustn't or we will die with him! The sacrifices he made will be useless if we don't finish this ritual." Replied the headmaster who was a middle-aged man bearing a long white beard. "Kobu, give me the goblet, the moonstone and the amber granules."

"Here you go, headmaster."

"Tsukino, guard the door and prepare yourself. I promise this ritual will be over sooner than you think."

The woman sends an unsure look to her headmaster before turning her back against him. "I hope you're right about this, Papa."

A special reminder:

I'm not the biggest fan of Naruto. I've only became interested in Anime back in 2016 and have only watched the whole first TV Show Naruto and barely a quarter of Naruto Shippuden so y'all crazy weebs better not be criticizing me about not researching enough and so and so about some jutsus that might have been mentioned in the chapters of this book. I have become fascinated with the Naruto universe only recently, not since 2002 like most of y'all so don't feel all too superior when you see a few mistakes throughout the whole book.

Anyhow, I'm glad you decided to have a read on my book. It means a lot to me, whether you only came here to rant about my crappy, Wattpad trash cliche writing or want to read some pre-smut. Lol.

Happy reading, otakus!!! UwU


	3. Chapter Two: The Girl Who Lived 2

Micaiah from Yakuta as FC for Mimori-san!!! (Ctto) OwO jk

1\. 住んでいた女の子

Dwelling hidden, in the northern uncharted outskirts of Iwagakure, The Village Hidden In The Rocks, is the Amatsu Tribe, a small clan of ninja and monks that has remain in complete isolation from society. They are led by holy monks who have kept their Kekkei Genkai in balance and protected from the outside world. Living in remoteness, the Amatsu Tribe do not follow the latest societal norms, culture and infrastructure of the other villages.

The women and men are merely equal. Not one woman is allowed to join the tribe's own shinobi armed force. And not one man is allowed to be unemployed. Every man should participate and work and every woman should keep out of the armed force. If one dares himself or herself to cross these laws, it's up to the monks to decide their fate, whether it be exile or execution, depending on the case.

The populace is very low despite the high rate of people deciding to banish themselves from the village. Most of them fled to the nearest, The Village Hidden In The Rocks, and had easily adapted to the modern lifestyle of the settlement, while a few had returned traumatized and penniless. Most of the banished were families and young adults, newly wed couples wanting to have their family elsewhere and teenagers seeking for a new life.

One of those teenagers could've been Mimori, if only she had the same wants. All Mimori really wants is a peaceful life. Perhaps settle down with a happy family once she turns eighteen and marry one of the few lucky men in the tribe. But if course, it's not for her to decide. She must have a husband of great significance to her and for their future children who will someday inherit her power.

How it warms her heart to think of herself as a parent. She wants to achieve a very important role her biological mother had never had. She was delivered out of the womb of the sacrifice and made with the chakra harvested from the moon and sun during a blood moon. In an instant, her biological mother died right after she was brought into this world. Mimori's biological father is unknown and so she has been in her own ever since, having only the monks to keep her alive and well-fed.

Mimori lives with the monks in the sacred ancient temple located at the cliff overlooking the whole tribe. Most of the time, she spends her daytime hours in the praying room where she prays and worship with her favorite monk to their Gods and attending the high school that has been recently established to keep the literacy rate high. Meanwhile, in her night time hours, she gazes at the sky and would talk for hours to the moon, in which she was told, since at a young age, it is her real mother while the sun, her real father.

It was unbelievable, even for Mimori herself. But it came from the monks, and so it must be true. Mimori had always acknowledged this, including the sole purpose of her existence.

Mimori

It wasn't going to rain today and so right after I woke up, I head off to Kazu's study. He's the head monk and I have to ask for his permission to hang out with my friends today. As I ran down the outer hallways, I imagined I was a famous running athlete and it was like the cicadas were cheering for me. I love imagining. It is said it's good for the soul. And when I have the time, I use my imaginations as ideas to my writing, novels I write in my spare times. It's a hobby I've developed from going to school perhaps.

"Headmaster Kazu!" I'm now knocking in the head monk's door. I couldn't help the excitement so much as that it was noticeable in my voice. "Are you in there? I need to speak with you!"

"Yes, yes. What is it?" Asked the old man, annoyed, as he slide his door open. His eyebrows are knitted in impatience, indicating his lack of sleep and has been occupied with paperwork for days.

"Can I go out today? Just with Kokona and my other girl friends." Mimori said sheepishly as she tries to still her cheeky grin in hopes it will convince him.

"Girl friends, eh? Are you sure there are no boys?"

"No. I promise, headmaster!"

"Then you shall, as you have been busy with your studies lately and I don't want to imprison you in the temple forever."

"Yes! Arigato, Kazu-san! Though don't come finding me for lunch. I'll just eat outside with them!"

"Very well, child. Take care of yourself." The man said as Mimori heads off. He slid the door back close.

The place Mimori and her friends will be hanging out with at is the only food shop in the whole tribe despite most of the townsfolk only make and eat their meals at home. Mimori's group of friends are the only ones in the store. They're eating the bestselling ramen which has been Mimori's favorite ever since she first ordered it.

In the stalls sat the four teenage girls chattering and eating ramen noodles for lunch. Kokona, a cheerful, friendly girl with a beautiful jet black mane always dangling on her back is Mimori's best friend among her inner circle since they have been friends since kindergarten. At heart, they're sisters. One would always know what the other one is thinking. But it seems at the moment, Mimori doesn't know what Kokona is thinking. A frown hangs low across her beautiful facial features, dragging her beauty down with it. And throughout the whole conversation, she rarely said a thing or two. She would send a smile to Mimori oftentimes, but Mimori knew too well it was counterfeit.

After all of them finished their ramen and the rest of her friends left, Mimori asked for Kokona to stay a little while. Gladly, she nodded.

"Are you okay, Kokona? You seem to be quiet today." Said Mimori, concern obvious in her wavering tone.

"I'm fine, Mimori. Nothing to worry about."Kokona said, her dark brown eyes lit up as she smiled at her, but they immediately retreat to the ground where they have always been.

Mimori rested a supportive hand on her shoulder. "You know, you can tell me anything. I'm your sister at heart, remember?" Mimori's amber yellow eyes suddenly looked past Kokona once she sees a familiar someone jogging over.

Mimori runs over to the person. He was a boy no more than two years her senior. He was her boyfriend, the boy she's had a crush on since middle school. His name was... "Seiji, you're home!" She jumps to his arms and he swiftly catches her. The both of them giggling of excitement despite having each other's presence. Mimori hasn't seen her lover in a while. The reason was because Seiji is a shinobi, a genin still preparing for his first Chunin Exam. And because of this, Seiji has to spend most of his days training and travelling afar with his sensei and other teammates.

After settling her back down to the ground, Seiji pinches her flushed cheeks playfully. "I missed you."

Mimori can't help but to pick his cheek, grinning goofily. "I missed you, too, Seiji-senpai!"


	4. Chapter Three: Calm Before The Storm 1

2\. 嵐の前の穏やかな 1

The tribe is surrounded by ominous vegetation and colossal valleys. The forest is so thick and the valleys are so tall that no one would suspect a tribe such as the Amatsu would be able to adapt and live peacefully in. The Amatsus have always been endangered, and so they kept themselves hidden. It's because of one thing: their Kekkei Genkai said to be dating back to the Princess Kaguya Ōtsutsuki of the Otsutsuki clan and their said ancestor, meaning they have the most powerful chakras in the world, outperforming the Nine Tails. Every Kage in every Hidden Village knows about them, but they never knew they weren't extinct after all after the countless Shinobi Wars. They have been used as war weapons, their powers and loyalties abused by many shinobi and so they disappear..

But peace isn't permanent. Seventeen years ago, the ninja from Iwagakure had known about about the Amatsu's location. They were surprised. They weren't extinct at all. They were only in hiding. Because of this, they ambushed the tribe and kidnapped their Headmaster for ransom. They wanted all of the tribespeople's power, but they couldn't figure out how. And so out of anger and envy, the Kage of the Rocks ordered his shinobi to massacre and burn all of them. It was a tyrannical move, but the other Hidden Villages were oblivious to this ruthlessness.

Lest, the Amatsu clan almost came onto extinction had the Blood Moon Prophecy wasn't done. It's known to be one of the most dangerous forbidden rituals of them all in the book. It should be done in a blood moon, when the moon is devoured by the sun and both of the celestial bodies' powers are easy to receive. Though countless sacrifices of mostly pregnant women have died because of this Prophecy, it is known there's only one which succeeded, and Mimori was the product. The human child of Luna and Sol. The savior of the Amatsu clan.

Itachi Uchiha has been sent to find the girl by the Akatsuki Organization. Disguised as a visiting merchant claiming to be a son of two former Amatsu tribespeople, he will be staying under the monks' care for as long as it takes, and perhaps possibly making the girl fall in love with him just so he wouldn't have to take the hard way again. Mimori doesn't know him, yet. For a girl her age and for a man with his charisma, surely it won't be hard to have her become attractive to him. Many girls have fallen for his charm and good looks, but not one has Itachi returned the feelings to. Izumi is still the only one who he longs for. It has been a decade though he still remembers one single second of the massacre.

Seiji pushed the swing harder, making the swing flee off higher than before. Mimori yelped and giggles as he did so. "Are you scared now, Mimori?" Asked Seiji, teasingly.

"Not yet, dummy!"

Smirking, on the third push, he pushes the swing with all of his might that it sent the white-haired girl flying to the bushes. "AAHHH, SEIJI, YOU IDIOT!!!"

Using his fast running jutsu, he was able to catch her. They landed safely on the ground as though they were only as heavy as a feather. Mimori's yellow amber eyes burst wide open as she gasps, and sends a slap across Seiji's face. "YOU IDIOT! YOU ALMOST KILLED ME!!!"

"Ow! Sorry, sorry. Hehehe..."

"Don't you dare laugh at me! What you did was very dangerous. Not only will it kill me but it will kill..."

She's cut off when he pecks her on the cheek, stunned. Immediately she blushes and trails off to nothing. "You're so red right now, Mimori. So cute." He pulls her closer to him, and gladly she lets him.

The silence of the forests engulfs then for a moment before a shout exploded from the huts. "The merchant is coming! We have a visitor! Quickly, make way for our visitor!"

"A visitor? Who could it be?" Asked Mimori.

Seiji looks down at her with the same curious expression. The two of them went back to the clearing to become aware of what was going on. The tribespeople were running from each direction once they got to the center of the village.

"Excuse me." Seiji decided to stop a man who was clearly excited for the visitor's arrival. He was carrying two tatami mats at once, heading to the direction of the temple. "Can you tell me what's going on?"

The man noticed the shinobi uniform Seiji was wearing. He had no right to not answer. "The foreign merchant from the Hidden Village Of The Leaves is visiting."

"Do you know why he's visiting?"

"For business purposes, as I've heard. Well, I better go."

"Thank you."

Mimori clung around her lover's hand, trying not to get dragged away by so many busy people all at one place. The tribe has never been this busy. It's all so new to her.

"All Shinobi, please gather around here!" Called a strong, voice coming from a man with a stoic expression. Seiji recognized him as his sensei.

Seiji turned to Mimori with a disappointed frown. This was his day off, supposedly their day. "Mimori, I should go. Will you be fine on your own?"

Mimori nodded, but she felt the same way he was feeling. "I will, Seiji-senpai. Go on then."

He kissed her on the forehead, his rough lips lingering on her skin for a little moment before he parts ways with her, disappearing in the raucous crowd. She swam away as well, heading to the stairs which leads to the temple.

The ruckus is no longer in the air once Mimori has reached inside the temple. The temple is quiet at this time of day, and after she shut the sliding door behind her, the only thing she could hear is the common ringing in her ear and her own relaxed breathing. Walking down the wooden floors, her pace comes to a slow. She hears muffled voices coming from the Headmaster's study. Their tones are steady but fast, as though they were arguing though in a mature and political manner. Mimori stared at the doors for a moment before she espied the small open gap. Before deciding to take a quick curious glimpse, she throws around a secure glance. She pushed the door a little bit so that she's able to see more than before.

A tea table is nestled in the middle. On top of it are papers and two porcelain cups of fresh green tea, Mimori had smelled and recognized its soothing minty scent. Sat on the table were the head monk and a black-hooded man across from him. Between them was Tsukino-san, the Headmaster's daughter and the Headmistress of the temple.

"I welcome you so deeply to the Amatsu tribe, Uchiha-san." Headmaster Kazu told the stranger as he bowed gently as well. Clearly he wasn't a person of this tribe. His clothes were far too different and modern.

"I understand why you've decided to finally make agreements with the outside world at last." Said the hooded man. "But I assure you, I will not betray our new alliance for the economy of the tribe's sake, for my parents were from the Amatsu clan as well."

"I trust you earnestly as well, Uchiha-san."

Mimori, being so tied up with the conversation she had no right to eavesdrop upon, flinched when an fuzzy pair of paws scratches her shoulder suddenly, making her gasp. Turning around, she faced Hiro, another orphan in the temple but unlike her, in exchange of his permanent residency in the temple, he's mandated to work as a servant. Mostly the only work he does is taking care of the Headmaster's herd of cats. In fact the one he has right now is one of them.

Shocked by the noise, the Headmaster slid the door wide open and scowled when he sees Mimori and Hiro hushing in harsh tones towards each other as the cat strays away.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" Shouted the Headmaster.

The two children stood straight, quickly apologizing and blaming each other.


	5. Chapter Four: Calm Before The Storm 2

3\. 嵐の前の穏やかな 2

"It was her!"

"No, it was him, Headmaster Kazu!!!"

"Silence! I will not side with one of you until you further explain to me why you were causing such a scene just outside of my study while a special visitor and I were-"

"It's all right." The hooded man rose up to his feet. He removed his hood, revealing his face.

Mimori's mouth is gaped open. She expected him to be older. He looks to be in his early twenties, perhaps not more than a few years ahead of her.

"What?" The Headmaster asked, surprised of the unexpected defense.

"They're just kids and kids fight most of the time. You should only consider them for now." The man said.

Sighing, the Headmaster agreed. "I'm afraid you're right although I'm very sorry about this childish inconvenience, Uchiha-san."

"I-I... Excuse me." Stuttering, Mimori excuses herself, her cheeks reddening of embarrassment.

Itachi watched as the girl ran away and disappearing in a corner. "She's the girl, is she not?" He asked the Headmaster as Hiro excuses himself too to find the runaway cat.

The head monk displays a stoic, serious expression. "She is, the daughter of Sol and Luna."

"What's her name?"

"Mimori."

"Mimori..." Itachi mumbled under his breath.

"Tsukino may take you to your quarters, Uchiha-san."

"I think I can find it on my own. I do love a little adventuring, well, only if you permit me to, Headmaster."

The head monk pondered about it for a moment. What if he does something to her? No matter, my daughter will keep her eyes on him. "Apologies, but as you are still a foreigner in my eyes, I need you to be accompanied. Besides, we wouldn't want you to get lost around here."

What a drag. "Understandable, Headmaster."

"I should leave, for I still have duties to fulfill. Tsukino," the Headmaster leans as close as possible to his daughter. "Keep a close eye on him while I'm gone."

Fools. Do you really think I can't hear a damn thing? I'm right in front of you! Sarcastically, Itachi thought, and rolled his eyes in annoyance.

Mimori climbs to the second floor to the top of the temple. The very last top is what the monks call The Botanical Flying Garden where they can pray and rest peacefully. It's called the Botanical Flying Garden for the only thing you could see is the sky and the surroundings. You can't see the temple itself even when you look down the railings. Because of this, your mind starts to think it really is flying above the clouds, the Botanical Garden.

The second floor to the last top is the sleeping quarters for only the monks, very special visitors, and for Mimori herself. Her room, being also the biggest, is at the far end of the hallway, next to the stairs leading to the Flying Garden where she frequently sneaks out to almost every night.

Now inside her room, Mimori lets all of her weight be thrown on the futon she didn't made earlier. She always forget to make her bed, or rather chooses not to. Mimori has been known to be the smartest in her class, but due to her unchangeable laziness she can never be the top of the class.

Mimori heaved out a faint sigh as she sat back up, undoing her two-tailed braids. Her hair is waist-length and is as pale as moonlight. It is said that it is the inherited it from the moon. Anyhow, her yellow amber eyes are from the bestowed power of the almighty God of the Morning. Her beauty is pure ethereal, as almost all of the other tribespeople have black hair and black eyes. She's not seen as their equal but a Goddess. Even so, Mimori never fails to get along with everyone, though she would never fail to stand out of the crowd as well.

As Mimori combed her moon-kissed hair on the mirror, two knocks arrived at the door. When Mimori came to answer it, it was Tsukino. To Mimori, Tsukino is more likely an evil, psychotic stepmother figure to her than her Headmistress. She who Mimori is taught and disciplined by is also her greatest enemy around, ahead of Aki, her rival of Seiji's heart.

"Itachi wants to meet you in the Flying Garden." Tsukino said in monotone, her flat gaze uncomfortably intimidating.

"Who's Itachi?" Asked Mimori.

"The gaijin. Follow me." Mimori did so as told.

The hooded man, who's anymore not hooded and anonymous, is sitting at the edge of the Koi fountain. He's feeding the fishes with some crumbs. Nervous, Mimori looks back at Tsukino, who is no more in sight. Unknowingly, it was not the real Tsukino. It was only a shadow clone and it had disappeared the second it locked the gates of the garden behind them. Because of her disappearance, her heartbeats have become faster. And Itachi can hear it very clearly with her being oblivious.

Itachi turned around and faced her with a mild smile, greeting her with a younger, friendly voice than before. "Oh, hey there! You must be Mimori."

Mimori nodded, awkwardly. "I am."

"My name's Itachi, Itachi Uchiha. Say, the fishes here don't seem to like me. They won't eat the crumbs I would give them."

Intrigued by this, Mimori closes their distance. She looked down at the fishes, and gasped when she catches half of them are floating ghastly dead in the surface. "U-Uh..." Looking at the crumbs in his open palm, it were large pieces of bread crumbs. "T-The crumbs are too big. They must've... YOU MUSTN'T HAVE THEM EAT SUCH SIZES!"

Itachi's psychotic smile cracked at the outburst.

Mimori covers her mouth with her both her hands. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have. It's just..." Her eyes began to be filled with tears. "These fishes are special to me and they being great fortune to the temple. You shouldn't be feeding them anything at all since they're very delicate beings."

Taking out two bodies of the dead Koi fishes, Mimori placed her hands on them and relaxes her mind. Wavering halos of blue begin to form in her hands. Itachi watched the girl closely, speechless.

After some seconds, the resurected fishes jumped back to the water. Mimori repeats the same method with the other dead fishes until the fountain was full of live fishes again.

Amazing. After all those healings, her chakra is still seemed to be in its full extent. Itachi thought, smiling. He was impressed. His theory of her has finally been debunked. She is the one.

"I'm sorry, Mimori. I shouldn't have done such a stupid thing."

"It's all right. Thank the Gods my powers brought them back to life before it's all too late."

"Your powers, do they have a limit?"

"Yes. When the deceased body has been completely decomposed, I can no longer bring it back to life. But if I should, I will have to replace their place in the afterlife. A life long gone needs a permanent replacement, nevertheless. God wouldn't be happy if the soul he has already brought back home will be stolen away without anything in exchange."


	6. Chapter Five: Murderous Betrayal

4\. 殺人と裏切り

"Can you show me more, Mimori?"

"About my powers?"

"Yes, other than resurrection. What else can you do, dear?"

Dear. The innocent teenage girl blushed at the pet name. Mimori shook this off, answering, "uh, well, let's see... I can do ninjutsu. My friend Seiji is a shinobi of the village and so he would teach me a few tricks."

"Really? Can you show me one right now?"

Motivated by his interest, Mimori is pleased to show him two basic Ninjutsu tricks. She showed him the Shadow Clone jutsu, Substitution jutsu and the Harem Distraction jutsu which almost had him rolling on the floor.

Itachi laughed, mockingly. "That is all? My, you have an unlimited amount of chakra inside you, Mimori. You can do better than that. Possibly, you can even overpass the strongest shinobi alive!"

"Uh, thank you, Uchiha-san." The girl said, shyly placing an untucked strand of hair behind her ear.

Itachi stepped closer, having only a few centimeters away as their space. His height towers her by a few inches no less than five. He's unbelievably taller up close, and more handsome. Mimori thought, swooning mentally. "Please. Just call me Itachi." He said, beaming her a smile.

Hearing the gates clanking, both of them turned to its direction. Itachi waved his hand in the air, unlocking the gates without having to move from his spot. He was standing so close to Mimori. She swore he could hear her unsettled breathing.

The old Headmaster joins them near the founrain. "Oh, here you are, Uchiha-" he's appalled once he sees Mimori standing too close to the merchant.

"It seems our moment ends here." Said Itachi. He faced her once again, with this time, a warm true smile. "It was nice meeting you, Mimori." Out of the blue, before he could leave, he leans in and kissed her sweetly on the mere side of her face. All over, she was now as red as a ripe tomato, as was the Headmaster's temper, but he was able to keep it all in. The head monk followed Itachi out of the Flying Garden, at last leaving Mimori in solitude and alone with the strange, pleasuring feeling in her heart. And in the bare skin of her forehead where his lips had been.

She had become in love again.

Itachi

Just as the two men climbed down the stairs in a relaxed pace, Kazu muttered loudly for Itachi to hear. "I see the girl has captured your heart, Uchiha-san." Itachi, being up front, turned around with an interested smile. "But I'm sorry. She's not allowed to be with foreigners, an Amatsu descendant or not."

"What if I decide to live here for the rest of my life? Can I marry her then?"

The old monk kept a stoic expression. "I'm afraid, whatever you put into it, I still can not allow it. Besides, Mimori is already engaged to one of our finest shinobi. He's still young as she is so we just have to wait until they're legal enough to wed."

"I see." Underwhelmed, Itachi gives the Headmaster a moment before he closed his eyes, activating both of his sharingan. When he got enough chakra to endure, next he activated is his Tsukuyomi.

"So horrid! Tsukino..." The Headmaster groaned. Their eye contact broke in an instant as the Headmaster unconsciously falls off the stairs after being unable to resist the effects of the Tsukuyomi. Because it's the most powerful genjutsu, Itachi's is blurred for a few seconds but it cleared up just in time for him to dodge the old monk's fall. I have to finish what I started, thought Itachi. He knelt down beside the unconscious monk and swiftly plunged a kunai knife on his neck. The murder was clean and quick, Itachi was thankful for. Standing up, the Uchiha performed a strong fire style jutsu with all the chakra he has left, setting all of the rice paper dividers around into flames before disappearing.

Mimori

"FIRE! FIRE!" Mimori jumped from her bed the second she heard someone shout. Smelling in what seemed to be paper burning, she looked out of the window, seeing thick black smoke emerging from below.

"Oh, no. I-I better get out!" Panicking, the girl grabbed her black cat, Fazu who was napping, and ran out of her quarters. So far so good, the upper quarters were still untouched by the fire. But once she was about to climb down the stairs, it had now become an inferno. Sweat began to shine through her skin as she forced herself to jump from one floor to the other, almost landing in a burnt area in the process.

As Mimori was beginning to get close on the main hallway, Fazu had leaped from her hands. "Meow!"

"Fazu, no!" Before she could chase him, an ablaze large wooden column splits them apart.

"Mimori-chan, let's go!" A few exiting servants and workers shouted through the hellish ruckus. "Mimori-chan!"

"Let go of me!" Mimori pushed herself away from their grasp and jumped through the burning column, making all of them scream in horror. All Mimori could feel now was the agonizing warmth. She was sweating vigorously. In a few minutes if she remained inside, she would be roasted. But she couldn't abandon Fazu. In all of the pets she has taken care of, he was her most favorite and the only animal who could make her bad days into the best.

Entering a room hotter than the previous one, Mimori froze in despair when she saw Fazu jumped out of a small cracked opening on the wall, leaving her all alone in the fire. This is it, she thought. I'm going to die, alone, because I was chasing something I thought was unsalvageable.

The moment came when Mimori fell to her knees in defeat, coughing up the smoke she has inhaled. In a few seconds, she'd be unconscious. But at least, I won't be able to feel the pain. Mama, Papa, you have no need to wait anymore for I am coming!

Seiji came running all the way from the village, panting breaths aggressively. As soon as he saw the temple on fire, he run for his life. Seiji looked around the people in the safe clearing, most of them crying and injured, searching for a particular face. But he has found none, except for her black cat.

Seiji picked the cat up which had ran towards him. "Fazu, where's Mimori?"

"Meow." The cat answered.

Incapable of understanding that he was staying, he walked up to a group of monks including the Headmistress, Tsukino.

"Tsukino-san! Mimori-san, where is she?" Seiji asked, sickly worried.

Tsukino turned around with the realest frown so far. "I-I don't know, Seiji-kun..."

"The temple is about to collapse! Get away as far as you can-"

Luckily, everyone shuffled away from the burning building as soon as they heard the warning. Everyone braced their eyes from the impact, making sure no flying debris could hit them. When it was safe, Seiji let go of Fazu and ran up towards the temple, which is now in burnt, chaotic ruin.

"N-No..." Tears soon fell out of his eyes. Wiping them away quickly before anyone could see, Seiji straightened up. "MIMORI! MIMORI, WHERE ARE YOU!?" He leaped through a still-burning pile of column, landing lightly on safe grounds. "MIMORI!"

Tsukino's frowned deepened as she watched the boy calling helplessly for Mimori with the other survivors of the fire. She turned around, trying to calm herself down before making the most angry announcement of her yet. "I want everyone to be at the Square. Now!"


	7. Chapter Six:

5\. 私は戻りません

Although he had covered enough distance away from the village, Itachi didn't bother to stop still. He had to take her as far as he could reach. If he rests now and she wakes up, she might outsmart him as he rests. But without warning, his chest painfully contacts, making him fall off the last tree he had jumped off to. Thankfully, Mimori wasn't hurt. Itachi was the first one to hit the ground after all, putting her safety first and foremost. Laying her softly on the grass, he grunts, hurt as the contractions of his chest worsens. Itachi breaths in a quick pace. Because of the pain, he couldn't stop clenching his fist, letting his nails dig through the calloused skin of his palms. Its indents have made a dotted line of crimson. The ritual needs to be done soon, he thought. Or else... My end will come too soon.

He looks over at Mimori, analyzing what she could be dreaming about as her chest was also rising up and down in a quick pace. For all I know, she could be running away from something in that dream. And the thing she's running away from probably... would be me.

Mimori

Surrounding her is a fog. It's so thick, it's impossible to see anything, including her body. It's as though she's disappeared into the nothingness, into the afterlife. But where could her parents be? Where are the people waiting for her? Where is... The Great Creator? She can't feel her heartbeat nor her body temperature. Her mind is relaxed, as though everything was settled. She wasn't worrying about her school work as always, nor her daily chores, and when she would bond with Seiji again. All she felt at the moment was... heavenly peace, with a little hint of euphoria.

Then, in a blink of an eye, she was gone from that foggy world, and was transported back into reality.

The first thing she felt was warmth. She could feel her back sweating in her kimono. She realizes she's in a lying position of a flat grassy area, and the strange weight of somebody's head resting on top of her stomach. She slowly raised her hand to touch the head. The hair is rough and is tied to a ponytail. It must be Seiji, thought Mimori. But Seiji's hair is no longer than beyond his ears.

The heavy weight on Mimori's stomach had disappeared. Mimori grunted as she forced herself to sit up. Her head is light at first. Her vision had to take a few seconds before she could see clearly.

Itachi patiently watched her, seeing the tiredness beginning to hang in her eyes. He was tired too, but he probably could still go on without any sleep for a week. After making eye contact, Mimori flinched and backed away.

"You're safe." Itachi said, simply.

"S-Safe? What are you talking about?"

"You don't remember? I just saved you before the temple could burn itself down with you to the ground, and also from a future miserable married life. You should thank me."

Confused at his unhumorous joke, Mimori shot him a glare before lifting herself up back to her feet. She looks around her surroundings, becoming unfamiliar with it. "Where are we?"

"Mimori, I have to tell you something very important." His voice is of a flat, more serious tone than before. Seeing she wouldn't meet his gaze, he placed a soft hand on her shoulder and her amber eyes immediately shot up to his like stars. "The village... It's all gone. The fire sort of spread towards the other huts in the tribe. Everyone was in panic and made stampedes in every possible exit. So, the flames got to them. Some who have survived had already fled off but, they seem to have gone to a different route. They were fast too, so I couldn't keep up with them while I was carrying you."

"What about Seiji?"

Intentionally, Itachi frowns. Mimori pushed his hand away as she walks off.

"Wait, Mimori..."

Gritting her crooked teeth, her eyes began to brim with woeful tears. "H-He wouldn't abandon me, would he?! Seiji wo-wouldn't leave me if he did set off to a different route... would he?" She looked at him for answers, but all he could give her was a blank, nonchalant stare. Enraged, the white-haired girl storms off. As she was about to leave the small clearing, he appears right in front of her in the speed of lightning. She's slammed against him but he didn't back up at least an mere inch. His strength was unbelievable.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going back to the village to see if anyone's still alive!"

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am!"

Mimori swerved to the side, but she was immediately restrained with his strong bare arms gripped against her poor, thin shoulders as though she was only a stick compared to him.

"Who do you think you are, my boyfriend!?"

With that sudden outburst, Itachi lost his guard, but Mimori didn't grab the opportunity to escape. The two of them look away from each other, but his hands are still on her. Blushing, Mimori looked down, completely ashamed of what she just said. He finally lets her go, but all she could do was stand in her same spot, in front of him. Neither of them made a move although they were very uncomfortable with the situation.

Toughening up, Itachi broke the silence like a knife as he pulls out a specific item from his pocket. "Here." Her eyes widen upon seeing her moon necklace in his hand. "It fell off since the class got broken. Figured it'd be important to you so I kept it safe."

Mimori nervously takes the necklace, but she's anxious of whether she'll ask him to put it on her or not. Seeing her hesitancy, he circled around her. "I'll put it for you."

She pulled her hair to the side, making sure it wouldn't get messy with the clasping. "W-What if it breaks again?" She asked.

"If it does, we'll get it fixed once we get to a store."

"But I can't go with you-"

"I can't go with you as well back to the village. I still have other business to take care of in the other villages. You can return there yourself, but I must promise you there would be monsters far more horrifying in person you will encounter during your trek..."

Mimori's lips trembled. Monsters far more horrifying in person. She immediately remembered the time she encountered with something very similar to what he was talking about. It was a giant rattle snake, scarier and bigger than its small, normal size. Had Seiji not been with that day, she would be dead meat. She has been afraid of the forest ever since, though only when she's alone. That's why she never goes beyond the clearing without Seiji, or anybody else she trusts her whole life with.

"Alright, alright!" The girl said giddily. "I'll go with you."

He stares at her. Her answer is unexpected. But later on, a smile curved his lips. "Very well then. Let's go. We might arrive in Iwagakure before sundown."

"Is that the Hidden Rock Village?"

"Yes, it is. Do you know about it?"

"Seiji tells me all about it since he's a shinobi and shinobi are allowed to leave the village during missions. He once took a mission there, he always told me."

Seiji. I miss you already. But I hope we'll meet again as soon as possible.

After motioning her to follow him, she scurried behind as they begin their trek to the opposite direction of where the village was.

She had no idea what really happened to her village, Itachi said in his mind., smirking. She even chose to come with me without a doubt. God knows what would happen to this girl if I brought her to the modern world untrained. Sighing, Itachi looked over his shoulder. Mimori has her eyes to the ground, a frown hanging on her lips. "I think it's best if we take the high road if we wanna get out of this forest before sunset." He suggested.

"The high road, as in jumping from one tree to the other, right?"

"Yes."

"But I'm not a ninja! I can't even climb a tree..."

Sighing, Itachi handed her a delicious-looking ball of pink dango. Only staring at it is enough to make Mimori's stomach grumble. "It smells nice. What is it?" She asked.

"Something to keep you alive and going. I know you're starving, so eat it."

Mimori didn't hesitate to eat the Dango, but right after she swallowed her first bite, she collapsed and the Dango fell to the ground. Itachi caught her unconscious body effortlessly, knowing it was gonna happen. Tsk. She's immediately fooled by me because of her uncontrollable hunger. If I had put poison instead of a sleeping pill inside the Dango, she would have died in a heartbeat. But of course, we can't have that.


	8. Chapter Six: No Going Back

5\. 私は戻りません

Although he had covered enough distance away from the village, Itachi didn't bother to stop still. He had to take her as far as he could reach. If he rests now and she wakes up, she might outsmart him as he rests. But without warning, his chest painfully contacts, making him fall off the last tree he had jumped off to. Thankfully, Mimori wasn't hurt. Itachi was the first one to hit the ground after all, putting her safety first and foremost. Laying her softly on the grass, he grunts, hurt as the contractions of his chest worsens. Itachi breaths in a quick pace. Because of the pain, he couldn't stop clenching his fist, letting his nails dig through the calloused skin of his palms. Its indents have made a dotted line of crimson. The ritual needs to be done soon, he thought. Or else... My end will come too soon.

He looks over at Mimori, analyzing what she could be dreaming about as her chest was also rising up and down in a quick pace. For all I know, she could be running away from something in that dream. And the thing she's running away from probably... would be me.

Mimori

Surrounding her is a fog. It's so thick, it's impossible to see anything, including her body. It's as though she's disappeared into the nothingness, into the afterlife. But where could her parents be? Where are the people waiting for her? Where is... The Great Creator? She can't feel her heartbeat nor her body temperature. Her mind is relaxed, as though everything was settled. She wasn't worrying about her school work as always, nor her daily chores, and when she would bond with Seiji again. All she felt at the moment was... heavenly peace, with a little hint of euphoria.

Then, in a blink of an eye, she was gone from that foggy world, and was transported back into reality.

The first thing she felt was warmth. She could feel her back sweating in her kimono. She realizes she's in a lying position of a flat grassy area, and the strange weight of somebody's head resting on top of her stomach. She slowly raised her hand to touch the head. The hair is rough and is tied to a ponytail. It must be Seiji, thought Mimori. But Seiji's hair is no longer than beyond his ears.

The heavy weight on Mimori's stomach had disappeared. Mimori grunted as she forced herself to sit up. Her head is light at first. Her vision had to take a few seconds before she could see clearly.

Itachi patiently watched her, seeing the tiredness beginning to hang in her eyes. He was tired too, but he probably could still go on without any sleep for a week. After making eye contact, Mimori flinched and backed away.

"You're safe." Itachi said, simply.

"S-Safe? What are you talking about?"

"You don't remember? I just saved you before the temple could burn itself down with you to the ground, and also from a future miserable married life. You should thank me."

Confused at his unhumorous joke, Mimori shot him a glare before lifting herself up back to her feet. She looks around her surroundings, becoming unfamiliar with it. "Where are we?"

"Mimori, I have to tell you something very important." His voice is of a flat, more serious tone than before. Seeing she wouldn't meet his gaze, he placed a soft hand on her shoulder and her amber eyes immediately shot up to his like stars. "The village... It's all gone. The fire sort of spread towards the other huts in the tribe. Everyone was in panic and made stampedes in every possible exit. So, the flames got to them. Some who have survived had already fled off but, they seem to have gone to a different route. They were fast too, so I couldn't keep up with them while I was carrying you."

"What about Seiji?"

Intentionally, Itachi frowns. Mimori pushed his hand away as she walks off.

"Wait, Mimori..."

Gritting her crooked teeth, her eyes began to brim with woeful tears. "H-He wouldn't abandon me, would he?! Seiji wo-wouldn't leave me if he did set off to a different route... would he?" She looked at him for answers, but all he could give her was a blank, nonchalant stare. Enraged, the white-haired girl storms off. As she was about to leave the small clearing, he appears right in front of her in the speed of lightning. She's slammed against him but he didn't back up at least an mere inch. His strength was unbelievable.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going back to the village to see if anyone's still alive!"

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am!"

Mimori swerved to the side, but she was immediately restrained with his strong bare arms gripped against her poor, thin shoulders as though she was only a stick compared to him.

"Who do you think you are, my boyfriend!?"

With that sudden outburst, Itachi lost his guard, but Mimori didn't grab the opportunity to escape. The two of them look away from each other, but his hands are still on her. Blushing, Mimori looked down, completely ashamed of what she just said. He finally lets her go, but all she could do was stand in her same spot, in front of him. Neither of them made a move although they were very uncomfortable with the situation.

Toughening up, Itachi broke the silence like a knife as he pulls out a specific item from his pocket. "Here." Her eyes widen upon seeing her moon necklace in his hand. "It fell off since the class got broken. Figured it'd be important to you so I kept it safe."

Mimori nervously takes the necklace, but she's anxious of whether she'll ask him to put it on her or not. Seeing her hesitancy, he circled around her. "I'll put it for you."

She pulled her hair to the side, making sure it wouldn't get messy with the clasping. "W-What if it breaks again?" She asked.

"If it does, we'll get it fixed once we get to a store."

"But I can't go with you-"

"I can't go with you as well back to the village. I still have other business to take care of in the other villages. You can return there yourself, but I must promise you there would be monsters far more horrifying in person you will encounter during your trek..."

Mimori's lips trembled. Monsters far more horrifying in person. She immediately remembered the time she encountered with something very similar to what he was talking about. It was a giant rattle snake, scarier and bigger than its small, normal size. Had Seiji not been with that day, she would be dead meat. She has been afraid of the forest ever since, though only when she's alone. That's why she never goes beyond the clearing without Seiji, or anybody else she trusts her whole life with.

"Alright, alright!" The girl said giddily. "I'll go with you."

He stares at her. Her answer is unexpected. But later on, a smile curved his lips. "Very well then. Let's go. We might arrive in Iwagakure before sundown."

"Is that the Hidden Rock Village?"

"Yes, it is. Do you know about it?"

"Seiji tells me all about it since he's a shinobi and shinobi are allowed to leave the village during missions. He once took a mission there, he always told me."

Seiji. I miss you already. But I hope we'll meet again as soon as possible.

After motioning her to follow him, she scurried behind as they begin their trek to the opposite direction of where the village was.

She had no idea what really happened to her village, Itachi said in his mind., smirking. She even chose to come with me without a doubt. God knows what would happen to this girl if I brought her to the modern world untrained. Sighing, Itachi looked over his shoulder. Mimori has her eyes to the ground, a frown hanging on her lips. "I think it's best if we take the high road if we wanna get out of this forest before sunset." He suggested.

"The high road, as in jumping from one tree to the other, right?"

"Yes."

"But I'm not a ninja! I can't even climb a tree..."

Sighing, Itachi handed her a delicious-looking ball of pink dango. Only staring at it is enough to make Mimori's stomach grumble. "It smells nice. What is it?" She asked.

"Something to keep you alive and going. I know you're starving, so eat it."

Mimori didn't hesitate to eat the Dango, but right after she swallowed her first bite, she collapsed and the Dango fell to the ground. Itachi caught her unconscious body effortlessly, knowing it was gonna happen. Tsk. She's immediately fooled by me because of her uncontrollable hunger. If I had put poison instead of a sleeping pill inside the Dango, she would have died in a heartbeat. But of course, we can't have that.


	9. Chapter Seven: Search Party

6\. 捜索隊

Seiji

Seiji closed the curtain doors behind him. Tsukino stood up from the wooden chair for the last hours, trying to come up with ideas to get everything back to normal without her father. She believed her father was kidnapped by Itachi Uchiha along with Mimori. Tsukino had just found out everything about Itachi with the help of Stone shinobi who had come to help and she has never been angered by such. How did I not see he was danger from a mile away? How could I be so dumb?! Releasing her fists, Tsukino stood at ease and gave Seiji a rolled map.

Seiji already knew this coming.

"I want you to do this mission since you're one of our finest ninja in this village. You have to bring Mimori and the Headmaster alive and well, do you hear me?" The Headmistress ordered with a rather calm tone.

"I hear you loud and clear, Tsukino-sensei." Replied Seiji.

"Bring no more than three other ninja with you and be on your way quickly. I reckon that gaijin won't get far, though my expectations would be betrayed. He's one of the Akatsuki and so you're no match for him, so try not to get into combat with him." Punching the bridge of her neck, she heaves out an infuriated sigh. "Go."

The boy bowed respectfully before exiting the tent, heading straight to his friends to deploy them as his squad members for the mission.

Hiro is sitting around a live bonfire with the other young clan members his age. While everyone was smiling as they try to enlighten each other's moods, Hiro was crying silently as he faced away from the group, trying his best not to be caught doing such an unmanly doing.

Seiji arrived after a few minutes. He only greeted the chattering group and walked past them although they invited him to join them. However, Seiji wasn't interested in them. Claiming the space beside Hiro on the log, Seiji placed a hand on Hiro's shoulder, making him jumped.

"Are you crying?" Seiji asked, trying to get a peak over the servant boy's face.

"No." Hiro groaned as he slapped Seiji's arm off. Seiji gave him a piece of clean fabric from his pockets but Hiro refused to accept. "What are you doing? Do you think I'm weak just because I'm crying!?" Shouted Hiro. Everyone in the group turned to him, making him feel more ashamed than before now that he's been seen crying.

Taking off into a sprint, Seiji lets him go, knowing all too well he needed some alone time. I just hope that alone time won't be permanent, or else it's gonna lead him to depression. Seiji thought, frowning.

"What happened to Hiro-san?" Asked a kunoichi, who's one of Hiro's best friends at school.

"Hello there, Seiji-kun!" Greeted another kunoichi, who was in Seiji's team. She was smiling from ear to ear and Seiji repaid that smile with a return greeting.

"Hello, Asuna. I was wondering if you don't have things to do this week."

Every girl in the group gasped, one beside Asuna teasing her friend by bumping her on the arm.

"W-Why do you ask, Seiji?" The girl asked, her cheeks reddening.

"I'm forming a three-man team to join me on a mission which I've been tasked with by Headmistress Tsukino. I'm gonna find and save Mimori and the Headmaster."

"Mimori was kidnapped, too? Well, obviously." Asuna muttered loudly, rolling here eyes. The boy beside her pushed her off by the shoulders. "Don't speak to Mimori that way, Asuna-chan! She's the Munpurinsesu!"

"Tsh. What ever. It's not like she is that special. She can't even do at least one simple jutsu although she has the most powerful chakras of all!"

Seiji crossed his arms. He had no choice but to hire her despite that she's one of the fine shinobi he knew. "So, Asuna, are you in or not?"

"Oh, I'm so in, Seiji! Only if the next and last person you're gonna bring isn't Akio."

"I was planning to bring Hiro but thank you for suggesting Akio."

"Huh!? No! Don't bring him with! I hate him!"

"Asuna, he's our teammate."

"I don't care!!!"

"Then if that's the case, I'm just going to unhire you and find another strong ninja around who'll be happy to-"

"Okay! Okay!" The girl sighed. "Fine. I just wanna travel again, with you." She sent me a wink and a flying kiss, in which both Seiji was able to dodge from.

Mimori

"Itachi..." Moaning his name, Mimori gave up her footing and let her body fall off to the ground. She was so tired from all that walking that she couldn't feel her legs anymore. There was a good reason why she chose to remain in high school than to transfer to the Academy. Mimori didn't like doing physical activity, be it light or vigorous. Not that it would be a reason to hate her, but it is due to her health. She doesn't only like doing anything including running, swimming, etc, but she also can't, which makes her hate it more, and herself.

"Get up. We're almost there." Itachi ordered from the front, never breaking a sweat. He narrowed his eyes at the horizon. "I can make out a few buildings at the horizon. It should be a town no longer a click away from where we're standing now." He explained.

Mimori tiredly got herself back up. "That dango you gave me is making me so tired." She said, yawning.

Bemused, Itachi smiled and knelt down to the ground. "Hop on my back then."

Mimori hummed questionably, but didn't hesitate to do so. She locked her arms around his neck, making sure she wasn't choking him. Mimori didn't expect him to be able to carry her so effortlessly once he lifted her up, keeping a tight hold on her knees.

"You're pretty strong, Itachi-san!" Mimori said, giggling.

Itachi smirked. He remembered giving his little brother, Sasuke in piggy back rides as well when he was still little. It's all in the past now. The best thing to do is to continue moving forward. Itachi thought cold-heartedly as he started walking forward again, the white-haired girl still giggling behind him.

"The sun is almost gone." Mimori muttered after an hour of walking into a wide stretch of forests later. They're still in the path, though Itachi is still standing his guard since he's heard of the forests of the Land Of Earth has the most dangerous forests among all of the countries. It's all full of gargantuan reptiles such as snakes. Most of them are failed illegal experiments from scientists who've gone mad. "Itachi, haven't I seen that tree before?" Mimori whispered, her head hung on his shoulder, as she pointed at an ancient-looking tree ahead of them.

Itachi stopped, heeding on her question. "Good observation, Mimori. You're not that dumb after all."

"Dumb? Seriously!?" The girl complained. She was about to smack him on the head when a crow appeared in front of them, making her yelp. Her voice echoed throughout the whole forest, forcing him to put her down. Mimori began to whimper in fear. Itachi keeps himself vehement despite Mimori being unbearably annoying at the moment. "Find it." He said to the crow. The crow nodded curtly before flying away out of the small clearing and into the darkening woods.

The sun had completely disappeared, leaving Itachi no choice but to activate his sharingan. We've been going circles all around this god-damned place. It must be a genjutsu, Itachi thought. No matter. It's not like it isn't my specialty.


	10. Chapter Eight: A Night Of Camping

7\. キャンプの夜

Itachi

"I guess we'll just have to camp in unil the sun appears again." Itachi declared, making Mimori moan in dread.

"But you said we're getting close to a village!"

"It's pointless. We can't pursue to continue walking with someone playing mind games with us at the moment." Itachi replied across the campfire.

"Y-You mean..." Peering over her shoulder to the vast darkness, Mimori shivered in fear and slid closer to Itachi in an instant. Looking back to the darkness, a small rabbit emerged, making Mimori scream. But just as she was about to, Itachi pulled her closer and put a hand on her mouth. "Stop screaming or you're gonna scare our dinner away." He whispered.

Mimori raised her brows. Itachi lets her go and threw a kunai knife towards the furry animal, hitting it right on its head. Walking over to pick the rabbit up, a tongue-like tail shot up out of the blue, strangling and swallowing him back to the darkness.

"Itachi!" Mimori yelled. She was about to run towards where he disappeared when she turned around and began running to the opposite direction. She was heading to nowhere. Nevertheless, she still kept going straight and forward. She was driven by fear. The bearing of her heart was so loud it's all she could hear in the vast darkness.

After an intense battle with a large snake, Itachi drew blood, separating the reptile's body from its head. When he came back to the lighted clearing, Mimori was nowhere to be seen. "Mimori! Where are you?" Itachi shouted over the faint silence of the forest. "Mimori!" He shouted one last time before he stopped and mustered enough chakra to use his tracking jutsu again. The crow appeared and he sent it out to search for Mimori. Bringing a torch with him, Itachi dove in the forest once again and followed the crow. I hope she's still alive, Itachi thought. I wouldn't forgive myself if I fail this mission, nor would I have to live longer. Coughing a few drips of blood, Itachi leaned against a nearby tree for support.

"Dammit." He cussed under his breath. "I'm weaker than before. I better find her soon before." Itachi coughed up more blood, forcing him to fall to the ground. He threw the torch away, making sure it wouldn't be an instigator of a forest fire.

He began to fight with his need of sleep and the thronging pain in his chest. He lifted a finger to his chin, feeling crimson beginning to cascade from his mouth.

"Mimori..." He muttered weakly, letting sleep take over him at last.

Mimori had stumbled to the ground. She didn't saw herself stumble, but she was able to feel it. Feeling fear taking over her, she looked up to the sky hoping she would see her mother, the moon. But the foliages of the tree were as thick as a rock. Mimori began to feel confined, trapped. The air is becoming humid, making it harder for her to breathe. She thinks of nothing but fear and Itachi being eaten alive by a horrifying winged monster with demonic horns and a snarling wicked grin.

It didn't take long for Mimori to start tearing up. "This is too much. I'm unable to run farther. I should've just returned to the village. I shouldn't have-"

"Mimori! Where are you?"

Mimori tensed stopped resisting to collapse at last. "Itachi, h-help me..."

She could make out a dim warm torchlight heading towards her. It was her glimmer of hope, she was smiling. But the light vanished, having Mimori believed it was only her illusion. Itachi isn't going to save me, she thought. Because I wasn't able to save him. I'm not strong enough. No! I should be stronger than I am now. I should finally put my powers to good use. But how?

"Mimori." A motherly feminine voice spoke. It was like a melody, so heavenly. "You are already strong but the only way to unleash your strength, is to remain faithful and optimistic. You can do it sweetheart, for I, your mother, believes in you."

Mimori opened her eyes and they were no longer in their normal state. They were as bright as a full moon in a clear sky and the sun in a high noon. Miraculously, Mimori could see in the dark and she feels stronger, healthier than ever. Her recovery from running used to last for days. Now, it is far less than that, for she heeded and believed in herself.

After seeing Itachi's unconscious body from a few meters away, Mimori immediately headed over. She rolled him over and had his back laid on the ground. She pushed aside every strand of his long brown hair away from his face, examining him. Once she saw the blood on his mouth and hand, she frowned. "Itachi..."

Itachi

Itachi woke up, to the sight of Mimori being so closely pressed against his face. It didn't take him long to realize—she was kissing him.

"Mmh!" Pushing her off with a firm hold on her shoulders, Itachi groaned and released a big sigh. Mimori backed away, apologizing frantically. "Sorry, sorry. I'm so sorry, Itachi!"

"Why... Did you do that?" He glared, roughly.

"I, uhm, well... I don't know. It just-"

"Let's just go. We've no time to waste."

Mimori stood up next, grabbing the rabbit he killed last night and she resurrected earlier on. After grabbing all of his gear, Itachi turned to the animal. "No, we're not bringing it with us."

"It's a she and I'm bringing her with whether you like it or not, Itachi-kun." The girl protested sassily. She squeezed into in her chest, almost suffocating the poor long-eared animal.

"Make sure not to lose it. We might cook it when we get to camp again."

"What? No way! I rather starve than to kill him."

"With that state of mind, I bet you wouldn't survive long on your own."

"That is very offensive, do you know that?"

"I know. I'm just trying to piss you off. You did kissed me to wake up, didn't you?"

"I-I forget about that! I was just curious, not like curious in a weird way but in a helpful way, like why were you still not—"

"Why don't you talk less fast and walk less slow, Mimori?"

"I am walking less slow! Ugh..."

Looking at his back, Itachi stopped walking and caught Mimori before she could fall to the ground. "Mimori, what's wrong?"

"I must've used up all my chakra to heal you last night."

"You healed me?"

"Y-Yeah... Can you give me a piggy back ride instead? I promise I won't be heavy."

Itachi smiled flatly. He didn't like the idea but his adrenaline is rushing for some weird, uncommon reason.

"How about bridal style this time?" He said. He locked her legs in his elbows and hoisted her to the air. The rabbit tensed but gladly it didn't jumped from her hold. But Itachi's hands were trembling slightly, she felt.

"Itachi, are you sure you're okay with this?" Mimori asked, worried.

With the realest-looking smile he could muster, Itachi nodded. "I'm very sure. Now let's get going while we have daylight."

"When will we have breakfast? I'm kind of starving."

"We could have breakfast right now if you give up that rabbit."

The rabbit squeaked in fear. Mimori exclaimed. "No!"

"You said you rather starve than to eat your friend, so starve."

"But what about you, Itachi-kun?"

"I'll be fine as long as you're able to heal."

"You can't heal a hungry stomach."

"If you can heal a broken heart then you can."

Mimori chuckled in a raspy tone. "Good point, Itachi-kun!"


End file.
